Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne, who are a female and male character, respectively, are the featured protagonists in the serial killing-related “Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne” series of novels penned by Richard Montanari. While we are at it, Richard Montanari is a septuagenarian American author who specializes in especially crime fiction, mystery, and thriller literary works. The earliest edition of his first book portraying protagonists Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne was initially published in January 2005, titled The Rosary Girls, and the Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne series of novels is cataloged in the crime fiction and mystery-cum-thriller genres.

Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne are not only incompatible, albeit unified by a common enemy, who is on the prowl, and a mission to unmask the murderous person; but are also battling their own personal problems. What’s more, they are out-and-out different and similar, almost in equal measure. Meet protagonists Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne. Jessica Balzano is a police officer, albeit one who is still wet behind her ears in the context of sleuthing. By the same token, Kevin Byrne is a police officer, but a past master at policing and has been working with a homicide unit for long. Balzano’s parent previously served in the same police department like her; she has done patrol work and been attached to Auto Theft Unit; but there is nothing to write home about this woman when it comes to investigating murders. In her fool’s paradise, she adopts a ‘lone ranger’ policy in her quest for unmasking the serial killer on the loose; but it is futile because coordination is crucial as neither of them can work without the other person’s assistance. As such, both of them are police partners, serving in the homicide section of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Closer home, both Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne have doomed personal lives and rocky marriages in particular. On the one hand, Byrne’s marriage is falling apart at the seams. The officer’s previous partner has also been hospitalized. Worse still, he has a handicapped adolescent daughter. On the other hand, Balzano is a single mother of a child aged six. Whereas divorcee Kevin Byrne seems to be seeking the spills and thrills, novice police officer Jessica Balzano seems, at the beginning, to be angling for proving herself.

The first book in the serialized Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne series, The Rosary Girls, is set in the backdrop of Philadelphia. The imposing bronze statue of William Penn, which is situated at Philadelphia City Hall, is a landmark and sight to behold. However, below its glamour, lurks a maniac serial killer with an insatiable appetite for the lives of religious young girls. A recurring aspect is the rosary which each hapless victim holds in their death throes. A helical trail pinpoints to the targets–girls attending Catholic Church-affiliated schools, with the majority of them being murdered within the Holy Week. The victims are killed and their bodies disfigured. As Balzano and Byrne start sleuthing and fasten on to the suspects, they realize that the serial killings are not only systematic but have also been planned by an intensely clever serial murderer.

Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne Awards
Richard Montanari debuted in 1995 with a book titled Deviant Way. This book clinched the Online Mystery Award in the Best First Mystery category. In 1996, the author allegedly was a quarterfinalist for the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting Awards.

Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne TV Shows and Movies
The author of Jessica Balzano / Kevin Bryne has also, albeit reportedly, written for the screen. For instance, it is alleged that Richard Montanari penned a screenplay titled The Skin Gods. Incidentally, the alleged screenplay was later on published in 2006 and is among the books contained in the Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne series.

Based on a previous interview published in an authoritative platform, some of Richard Montanari’s literary works are being considered for the big screen. A notable example is the Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne series, alternatively known as the Philadelphia series. There is an ongoing project to adapt this series for a television series and a film. Montanari’s 2009 book titled The Devil’s Garden has also been earmarked for film adaptation. If he was consulted for the casting, Richard Montanari opined that he would select the Irish-German actor called Michael Fassbender for the role of Aleksander Savisaar, choose American actor Bradley Charles Cooper to play as Michael Roman, and American actress Sophia Anna Bush to play as Abby Roman.

Best Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne Books
Expectedly, the best Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne books are the first three in the series. The first one is The Rosary Girls; this has been discussed previously. The second one is 2006 book titled The Skin Gods. In this book, Philadelphia Police Department’s detectives Jessica Balzano and Kevin Bryne are assigned to start sleuthing an odd incident; a psychopath, pandered to as The Actor, is hellbent on reconstructing the fictitious parts of a Hollywood film by substituting the make-believe scenes for actual scenes. The culprit could be anyone in the film industry but the pointer is in Kevin Byrne’s shadowy life. The third book, which was published in 2007 and is the third in the Jessica Balzano / Kevin Bryne series, is titled Merciless. Hereby, the aforementioned detectives are summoned to start sleuthing in the wake of Philadelphia resident Karen’s murder and, shortly thereafter, other toe-curling murders by the Schuylkill river. The past holds the key to the perpetrator of the gruesome murders.

Other Books You May Like
Avid readers who read the Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne series also enjoyed reading the following series of books. The first series is titled the Carson Ryder and is penned by Jack Kerley. This crime thriller revolves around detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus of Mobila, Alabama. Another remarkable one is the Darby McCormick authored by Chris Mooney. This book is all about a series of murders and subsequent crime scene investigations, featuring detective Darby McCormick who is attached to the Boston Police Department. Another series to look for is the Jonathan Stride series of books written by Brian Freeman. This is a psychological thriller portraying homicide unit’s detectives Jonathan Stride and his assigned partner Maggie Bei.

Master of the standalone thriller genre, Shari Lapena, is back. Author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest is the latest novel by Shari. It takes place in a cozy mountain lodge in Winter where various people are staying for a romantic getaway. A blizzard cuts off the power and any contact with the outside world so everyone settles in for the long haul. Then a guest dies. And another. Knowing Shari's other books, this should be one we'll be reading late into the night. For more details or to pre-order, visit our Shari Lapena page.

Recommendations

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MISSING A BOOK?

I do my best to make sure the book lists are complete and current, but due to human or machine error while attempting to keep 3000+ authors up to date, the occasional book can be missed or will be listed under an alternate title. If you see one missing just send me an e-mail below. Thanks!

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Featured Series

Our book series of the month is the Will Robie Series by David Baldacci. If you like Mitch Rapp, Jack Reacher, Jason Bourne etc then you'll love the Will Robie series. These are page turners to the max too and Baldacci knows how to keep you going all night long!

Featured Author

Bill Wenham is the author of various book series including The Inspector Charrington Mysteries and the Inspector Bruce Mysteries. He just started writing in his 80s to follow a life long dream. It’s an amazing story and the books he has written are pretty great too – his passion really shines through. Read more about Bills books.

Did You Know…

In her late teens Agatha Christie studied to be a classical musician but was too nervous to perform. She is the only crime writer to have created two equally famous and much loved characters - Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple and is the only female dramatist ever to have had three plays running simultaneously in London’s West End.